Imagine you're from the 1950s and this documentary is sent back in time and is your only glimpse of 70 years into the future. Hell, even by 2000s' standards this is incredibly Orwellian or Kafkaesque.
A lot of critics here have rightly pointed out this is a lazy documentary. And it is, but that's the beauty of it. That a narrative can be weaved ENTIRELY from police footage, voluntary social media posts, and candid text messages, is in some respects a sad indictment on our narcissistic and paranoid society - the urge to micromanage our lives and image, overshare and over-surveil. No talking heads, no traditional narration, scant journalism, little legwork.
Chris Watts is a monster. However that does not tell the whole story. Another interesting narrative touched on, but not quite fully fleshed out in the documentary, is masculinity in the 2010s-20s. The juggle that is entirely inconsistent with what we were taught by our fathers and grandfathers. The balancing act of being a doting husband while also retaining your 'manhood' and not being insecure about it. The reason why new media such as the Joe Rogan Podcast is popular with disaffected young men aged 18-35.
There is almost no doubt that Chris felt strongly demasculated through his toxic marriage. That is not an excuse to murder your family, but is a topic that warrants further investigation. One could argue if he plead 'not guilty' he would have done a better service to society at large - to be probed on the 'why' ... why you would opt to murder your kids and not just get a divorce.
I did not feel offended by the 'facts' towards the end - they were quietly dismantled by another review entitled "Reciprocal?" here. From a pure 'true crime documentary' point of view, this film probably sucks. You can find deeper investigation on YouTube, and if you're familiar with the case (I wasn't) this might offer nothing new. However, as a time-stamp commentary on our modern society, it does a good job.
A lot of critics here have rightly pointed out this is a lazy documentary. And it is, but that's the beauty of it. That a narrative can be weaved ENTIRELY from police footage, voluntary social media posts, and candid text messages, is in some respects a sad indictment on our narcissistic and paranoid society - the urge to micromanage our lives and image, overshare and over-surveil. No talking heads, no traditional narration, scant journalism, little legwork.
Chris Watts is a monster. However that does not tell the whole story. Another interesting narrative touched on, but not quite fully fleshed out in the documentary, is masculinity in the 2010s-20s. The juggle that is entirely inconsistent with what we were taught by our fathers and grandfathers. The balancing act of being a doting husband while also retaining your 'manhood' and not being insecure about it. The reason why new media such as the Joe Rogan Podcast is popular with disaffected young men aged 18-35.
There is almost no doubt that Chris felt strongly demasculated through his toxic marriage. That is not an excuse to murder your family, but is a topic that warrants further investigation. One could argue if he plead 'not guilty' he would have done a better service to society at large - to be probed on the 'why' ... why you would opt to murder your kids and not just get a divorce.
I did not feel offended by the 'facts' towards the end - they were quietly dismantled by another review entitled "Reciprocal?" here. From a pure 'true crime documentary' point of view, this film probably sucks. You can find deeper investigation on YouTube, and if you're familiar with the case (I wasn't) this might offer nothing new. However, as a time-stamp commentary on our modern society, it does a good job.